Riverside restaurants, a new railway station and an end to the one-way system are among the ideas that have been proposed for Guildford town centre.

A new report offers nine ‘big ideas’ to guide the planning strategy for making best use of the historic town centre.

Top of the list is an overhaul to the gyratory, which would see the pedestrianisation of Bridge Street, between the railway station and the town, with the exception of buses. Friary Bridge would be made two-way to all traffic between the town centre and the west.

A boulevard with a line of trees along the central reservation would be created where Onslow Street meets Millbrook. It would become the main location for town centre bus stops and the bus station would close without being relocated because it ‘creates an inhumane environment’.

Public spaces are central to the proposals, and as well as additional pedestrianised streets, and seven new public spaces, there are ambitions to open up the river through town with footpaths, restaurants and open spaces.

The £50,000 study, Guildford Town Centre Vision, by Allies and Morrison, was commissioned in March to look at ways of transforming the centre – taking into account projects such as the North Street Development.

It will be discussed by the council executive on Thursday and council leader Stephen Mansbridge, said: “This is an important, valuable and ambitious look at shaping our vision for Guildford’s town centre.

“We engaged external consultants to help bring together big ideas and an outline of how we can tackle the key issues highlighted by the council, our businesses and our communities.

“This is the first step on the journey to creating a supplementary planning document (SPD) to plan our town for many years to come, and this topic paper will go out to consultation in parallel with the draft local plan.

“It is important to remember that this SPD can only be prepared in concert with the local plan, which is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

Many of the changes proposed would dramatically alter the face of the town.

Businesses in the Friary Centre could be turned outwards to look on to the street, with new homes above, and in the long term the centre could be replaced with two separate blocks.

The new proposals include redeveloping the area around the cinema, to create Bedford Wharf, and a new Royal Surrey Square – introducing cultural and leisure buildings in the space around the Electric Theatre, which is currently cut off from the rest of the town.

Malthouse Square, at the bottom of the High Street, would provide restaurants and leisure activities, as well as riverside apartments. In the north of the town a new Walnut Tree Gardens would be built around the river.

Guildford’s knowledge economy is identified as important for the prosperity of the town.

A redeveloped railway station is proposed as well as a new station in Park Barn to serve the research park and the hospital. Improved links with the university, as well as the cathedral, would also be created with a new bridge over the railway.

Under the proposals, the views of the Hog’s Back from both the High Street and North Street would be protected from being obscured by new developments.